At Ukraine war anniversary, Johnson urges Europe to match Trump’s pressure on India over Russian oil

Oil pressure debate resurfaces in Kyiv

The debate over countries continuing to buy Russian oil resurfaced in Kyiv on Tuesday, as European leaders and lawmakers gathered to mark four years since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. Among the most striking interventions was that of former UK prime minister Boris Johnson, who backed US President Donald Trump in pressing India to curb purchases of Russian hydrocarbons.

According to a report by the Hindustan Times, much of the discussion at a special meeting of the Yalta European Strategy focused on how Europe could intensify pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin to push him towards serious negotiations. Proposals ranged from Britain and France transferring frozen Russian assets directly to Ukraine — bypassing divisions within the European Union — to expanding the so-called “Danish model”, under which European funds are channelled into Ukraine’s defence industry to accelerate weapons production.

Speaking at a session titled ‘Who can make Russia negotiate seriously’, Johnson criticised European states and other countries that continue to import Russian energy. He noted that 12 per cent of Europe’s oil and gas still originates in Russia, generating billions of dollars in revenue for the Kremlin.

“Trump is doing something to stop India buying Russian hydrocarbons. Europe and Britain are not doing enough,” Johnson said.

American officials, including Trump, have argued that India has committed to addressing Russian oil purchases as part of an interim trade deal currently being finalised. New Delhi has neither confirmed nor denied that it will halt imports. India’s external affairs ministry has stated only that the country will retain multiple sources of energy supply, with national interest guiding decisions.

An understanding between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Trump led Washington to cut overall tariffs on Indian goods from 50 per cent — including a 25 per cent punitive levy linked to Russian oil — to 18 per cent. Since then, India’s imports of Russian crude have declined, while purchases of US energy have risen. In January, Russian shipments accounted for the smallest share of India’s oil imports since late 2022.

India, the world’s third-largest oil importer, had sharply increased purchases of discounted Russian crude after Western sanctions followed the 2022 invasion, with volumes exceeding two million barrels per day in some months.

New Delhi has consistently maintained that dialogue and diplomacy remain the only viable route to ending the conflict. In meetings with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Modi has stressed that solutions will not be found on the battlefield and that negotiations cannot succeed “under the shadow of the gun”.

With Hungary blocking additional EU sanctions and a €90-billion loan package for Ukraine, European leaders in Kyiv also debated how to strengthen Kyiv’s position militarily, underscoring persistent divisions within the bloc.